


And I'll be your crutch

by jczala



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! - All Media Types, Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Fever, Living Together, M/M, Sickfic, Three Things
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-04
Updated: 2020-07-04
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:08:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,494
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25078147
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jczala/pseuds/jczala
Summary: He should have paid closer attention or should have stopped Yusaku from going to school. He had a feeling something was off, but he had just brushed it off as ‘lack of sleep’.In which Yusaku comes down with a fever and Ryoken is doting as ever...
Relationships: Fujiki Yuusaku/Revolver | Kougami Ryouken
Comments: 6
Kudos: 46





	And I'll be your crutch

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ZakuraRain](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZakuraRain/gifts).



> First off, I wanna say Happy Birthday to my good friend, ZakuraRain! I wanted to give something, so I figured writing a fic of her choice. She settled for sick!Yusaku, and I was more than happy to do it. It was fun. <3 
> 
> I hope you like my gift, Zakura, and may you have a wonderful day today. You deserve it!   
> ★+｡ﾟ(*≧з≦)φ…ＨａＰＰｙ ＢｉｒｔｈＤａｙ

There were things he desperately wished he could undo. Those mistakes became a part of who he was, along with everything else. For years he had wallowed in regret, remorse, sorrow and guilt—negative emotions that held him back and kept him stuck in life. But his fateful encounter with his rival had opened his eyes—not just to the world, but to himself. Despite his many flaws, Yusaku Fujiki accepted him for who he was and never blamed him. He had never been timid, but he had gained a new sort of confidence to live the life he wanted. 

Yusaku was the most important person to him, and he was by his side. Undoubtedly his trials in life were far from over, but whatever path he took, with _him_ by his side, he knew he was going to be all right. He never expected to fall in love the way he did with Yusaku, and never before in his life had he felt so fulfilled. He was surrounded by joy and warmth, and his heart was full of memories that gave him strength. 

At times Ryoken felt like he did spoil Yusaku, as others would like to point out, but it was only because he wanted to give Yusaku only the best. He loved seeing Yusaku happy.

Nevertheless, to say he had nothing to fear would have been a lie. He was always afraid that he would lose Yusaku. He always felt that he didn’t deserve him, but Yusaku made him feel like he was worth it. Made him feel so loved and cared for. And Ryoken knew he could never repay Yusaku for all his kindness to him.

Often times, he wondered to himself, was he taking good care of him in return? Did he know just how much he loved him? 

Significant time had passed since Yusaku started living in the mansion with him. Every moment spent with him was a gift to be cherished and experienced.

Then on one particular day…

Yusaku didn’t seem to have an appetite for breakfast. He just took a few bites, and he seemed tired. And were his eyes deceiving him or did Yusaku look a little pale? Was he sick? Ryoken was fully aware that Yusaku wasn’t a morning person, but this felt different.

“Are you all right?” Ryoken asked, concerned, but he was reassured quickly by Yusaku, who gave him a small, weak smile.

“I’m fine. I just slept late last night. I had to finish debugging a program for the client,” Yusaku explained, chugging down his coffee. Aside from working part-time at Café Nagi, Yusaku also did programming jobs online to make extra money. He was so adamant about making his own money, because he didn’t want to rely on Ryoken for financial matters—even though Ryoken was more than capable of supporting him.

Then again, Ryoken always found himself significantly drawn to Yusaku’s strong independent streak. It was one of the things he loved about him. “Work is good and all, but don’t overexert yourself. I don’t want you getting sick.”

“Definitely won’t… It’ll be troublesome,” Yusaku said before he remembered something that made him slightly scowl. “Speaking of, I have gym class today.”

“Your favorite subject, great,” Ryoken said in a playful yet sarcastic manner, earning him an annoyed look from his boyfriend. He chuckled a bit. “What will your class be doing?”

“Volleyball,” Yusaku sighed out. “Can’t I just skip?”

“You will most certainly not.” Ryoken was pleased to see that his disdain about sports had not change one bit, and it seemed Yusaku had more vigor to him than he did earlier. Perhaps because Yusaku was properly caffeinated now, but his pallor still looked off. “You sure you’re feeling all right? There’s a flu bug going on. Maybe I should check—”

“I’m just a little sleepy, not sick,” Yusaku interrupted his concerned words with a shrug, moving away before Ryoken could get close. “Gotta go. I don’t want to be late,” he stated, grabbing his bag.

“Well then, have fun at school,” Ryoken said, his expression easing into a smile. “And oh, try not to get hit by the ball.”

Yusaku pouted. “Don’t you jinx it.”

00000

“Yusaku, I’m going to grab a drink from the vending machine. You want anything?”

Yusaku straightened at Jin Kusanagi’s question and wiped the back of his hand across his forehead. He had been bouncing between chills and fever since arriving at school. Sweat was gathering across his back and along his scalp as if he’d been running a marathon. Normally, he rarely took ill, but he was obviously coming down with something nasty, and he didn’t bother to share that information with Ryoken or anyone else at this point.

Ryoken was about to close a multi-million business deal today, which would highly benefit his foundation. If Ryoken ever found out about his fever, he’ll definitely worry and might distract him from his negotiations. Or worse… Ryoken might cancel the meeting just to nurse him back to health. The last thing Yusaku wanted was to get in Ryoken’s way and to cause him trouble, hence the reason why he pretended to be fine at breakfast that morning.

Even though Ryoken almost found out…

His gaze slid to the clock on the wall of the school cafeteria. It was almost time for afternoon classes. Yusaku almost groaned. Only three more hours. The way this flu bug was coming on, it was doubtful he’d last to the end, especially in gym class.

“Are you all right? You look pale.”

Yusaku grimaced as Jin moved to his side and felt his forehead.

“This is bad. You have a fever.”

“I’m fine.” Yusaku looked away with embarrassed irritation at himself. Why did he have to get sick today of all days?

“Maybe you should—”

“I’m fine. I’ve handled worse, don’t worry.” Going to the infirmary would be the most logical choice, but there was the possibility of the nurse informing Ryoken of his condition. At the very least, Yusaku felt like the fever was manageable.

Or so he thought… 

“Yusaku?”

He blinked in confusion and stared up at Jin. The fact that he was now sitting on the flight of steps was a bit startling and made him glance around. Jin had obviously made sure he didn’t fall down and was now hovering over him, worry on his face.

“You nearly fainted, I think,” Jin told him. “You were swaying.”

Yusaku gave out a sigh and a wave of his hand. “This is nothing. I’ll feel okay once I get some sleep. The teacher usually doesn’t mind me.”

Jin looked like he wanted to say something out of concern, but then he just sighed and gave him Tylenol to help relieve the pain. 

Afternoon classes rolled in, and Yusaku got the opportunity to sleep in, which made him a little better. But when gym class came around, his head felt like it was going to split apart. He desired nothing more for class to end so he could bury himself in bed at home. Much to his relief, he was allowed to sit out the matches thanks to Jin, who somehow managed to convince the teacher.

Unfortunately, though, it seemed that the fabric of the universe was conspiring against him, because a serve gone wrong sent a wild ball in his direction and hit him in the face. He’d been too distracted that he didn’t see it coming or hear people warning him.

It was nothing short of a miracle that he managed to stay conscious after that, but he got sent to the infirmary either way to put a cold compress and later on a cooling gel patch over his swollen cheek. As expected, the nurse found out about his fever and gave him some medicine. If it wasn’t for Jin volunteering to take him home, the nurse would have called Ryoken.

Though he was finally out of gym class, he looked definitely worse for wear, especially with the white patch on his cheek. There was no way he could hide this from Ryoken, but he’ll worry about that later. He had to get home first.

They got themselves an Uber and got to the mansion in no time. When he got out of the car, the whole world was suddenly spinning. He collapsed to his knees as his vision began to swim. He thought he heard Ryoken calling his name, but he couldn’t respond. Then again, why would Ryoken be home when he was supposed to be at an important meeting? He hadn’t even contacted him. There was no way he’d be there. He fought to stay on his feet, but his consciousness slipped away like a raven taking flight, and he dipped forward.

However, the last thing Yusaku thought before his world went dark was the feeling of familiar warm arms wrapped around him.

“Yusaku!”

Ryoken had caught Yusaku before he hit the ground. He slid his hand through the back of his hair to cradle his head and wrapped his other arm around his body as he caught him against him. Sliding to the ground with him, he pulled him onto his lap. His chest ached while he held him and his own pulse sped up. He hissed at the heat of Yusaku’s burning against his skin. Panic licked at the edges of his own consciousness, laced with a sudden anger upon seeing the patch on his cheek. It was a bruise. About a dozen different scenarios invaded his mind, seizing control and twisting his insides.

“What happened to him?” he questioned in a tone dripping with unbearable coldness. If someone had hurt Yusaku—he was going to make them pay. “Who did this?”

The questions were directed at Jin, who now appeared to be in a state of frozen shock. Ryoken could have sworn he saw Jin swallow hard, saw the tension in his eyes, too. Nervously fidgeting with the strap of his bag, Jin remained speechless for a while before finally coming out with it. “R-Ryoken-san, calm down. Yusaku’s been down with a fever since this morning. I’ve tried to get him to rest, but—”

“And his face?” Ryoken said to Jin abruptly, almost harshly, and immediately regretted it when Jin almost flinched.

“A wild serve… He didn’t see the ball coming, so…”

Ryoken didn’t need to hear the rest. His throat felt tight and ached as if it had a large ball lodged inside. He should have paid closer attention or should have stopped Yusaku from going to school. He had a feeling something was off, but he had just brushed it off as ‘lack of sleep’. With an effort he pulled himself together. He needed to get Yusaku inside. But first…

“Jin…” He turned his head to Jin, giving him a grateful smile, and spoke in a tone much kinder now, “…thank you for bringing him home…and for calling me.”

The smile was returned, though a little wistfully. “I wish I could have called you sooner,” Jin confessed. “It’s just that Yusaku didn’t want you to worry.”

“Sounds like Yusaku all right,” Ryoken said with a sigh. “I’ll take it from here.”

“All right. I hope he gets well soon.”

“I’ll make sure of it.”

Ryoken picked Yusaku up cradling him in his arms as he made his way into the house and carried him further to his room. He laid him carefully on the bed. With all the intentions of caring for his beloved, he filled the washbowl with cool water and knelt before Yusaku. He removed his clothing with gentle hands and his gut knotted when he saw how flushed his skin was beneath the uniform. Peeling off the patch from his cheek, his heart dropped into the pit of his stomach. He softly touched Yusaku’s swollen cheek, the skin a deep purple from the bruise. He could feel his frustration rising, could picture Yusaku in his mind getting hit by the ball. The damage done to that beautiful face made Ryoken feel a great sense of remorse.

Biting his lip and forcing those feelings down, he proceeded to sponge Yusaku’s face, arms, shoulders, chest, over and over, and dabbed him dry with a towel. He then put on a new cooling gel patch for his bruise.

By the time he finished putting on his pajamas, something happened.

“Urgh…” Yusaku’s face suddenly twisted into a painful grimace. Even in sleep, his fever was causing him discomfort.

“Yusaku…” Ryoken gently wiped sweat from his forehead. It hurt to see him in such pain and he wanted to make it go away, but all he could do was wait and hope. He took his shaking fingers in his hand and held them. He heard his quick breath. He heard him mumble his name and moaned in such agony that he shivered. Yusaku trembled, and Ryoken realized with growing horror that he was crying.

His heart sank. The feeling of helplessness crushed his chest. The overwhelming desire to beg for something to help ease Yusaku’s pain simmered at the back of his mind. However, he soon realized there was one thing he could do—something that meant the world to Yusaku until now. Wiping Yusaku’s tears away with the soft pads of his thumb, he leaned in close to his ear to whisper the words, being careful not to put any weight on him.

“Three things… Don’t forget to think of three things.”

These were the words he conferred to Yusaku back then—during a time of confinement and pain, in a place that gave birth to trauma and fear. There was little to nothing he could do back then, for he was only a child of eight, but the words had served to unlock a deep strength and determination within Yusaku, and his voice served as his crutch for the years that followed. Yusaku was struggling right now, so he hoped to reach him with his words once again.

“Three things to get better, three things to look forward to in the morning… Three, that’s all you need.”

And gradually, Yusaku fell into a tranquil state. His breathing returned to normal, seemingly comforted by Ryoken’s assurance. There was relief smoothing over his face. Ryoken could see relaxation overtaking him, and prayed that he would pull through this fever as he placed a KOOLFEVER on his temple. 

“Get well soon, Yusaku…”

How much time had passed, Yusaku wasn’t sure. He awoke to find himself lying on his bed. Something cool was on his forehead, a pad of some sort and it was soothing against his skin. He touched it tentatively and noticed a dark blue fabric enclosing his arm. It was his pajama top, much to his surprise. He had no recollection of changing clothes or any idea how he got to his room, but some dreamlike memory felt the strong arms that carried him and the voice that comforted him.

He tried to get up, but a hand immediately pushed him back down, then he saw Ryoken sitting next to his bed and froze. “R-Ryoken…? Why are you—”

“I got a call from Jin saying you were sick,” Ryoken answered him, a frown deeply etched on his handsome face as concern gleamed in those magnetic blue eyes. “I rushed home as quickly as I could.”

Despite his best efforts, Yusaku still ended up causing trouble for Ryoken. He grimaced at the thought, shame drawing his irises away, and his heart sank like stone. He didn’t know what to say. He felt awful in a way that had nothing to do with fainting. All he could muster the energy to say was sorry, but it died on his lips as soon as he felt his cheek against the curve of Ryoken’s hand. He was surprised enough that he looked up at him before he realized what he was doing.

In those astonishing eyes of blue, Yusaku saw pain…

Ryoken let out a breath of sigh. “I’ll go make you some porridge. I’ll be back in a little bit.” He stood from the chair and turned, but not after Yusaku caught a glimpse of an emotion in his face that he couldn’t place.

00000

A nice bowl of warm porridge. The one with grated radish and green onions.

Once Ryoken delivered it to Yusaku’s room, the younger lad claimed he could eat it himself, even though he didn’t seem to have any appetite at all. Of course, Ryoken wasn’t going to let him, so he scooped up a spoonful of porridge and blew on it to cool. “Here, eat up…”

“But…”

“Yusaku, I _want_ to do this. Please let me take care of you.” There was only slight hesitation before Yusaku gave in and opened his mouth to welcome the warm meal, but he seemed for some reason to be avoiding his eyes. “How is it?”

“I’m not sure… My tongue can’t seem to taste anything anymore,” Yusaku commented disappointedly, “but…” He let his voice trail off, a shy smile curving his lips, and then quietly he said, “It makes me feel good, so I guess it tastes good too.”

Ryoken offered him a kind smile in return and continued feeding him. Yusaku’s pale face was starting to get some color back now, and he swallowed every spoonful he offered. To see him eat without much fuss was a tremendous relief, even more so when Yusaku finished the entire bowl and drank his medicine.

As he opened up another pack of KOOLFEVER, Yusaku became a bit restless, as if he wanted to say something but was hesitant. Letting out a sigh, he gently peeled off the used pad from his forehead and said, “If you were feeling sick, why didn’t you say something?” He felt Yusaku stiffened as he carefully placed the new pad. “Let me guess… You probably didn’t want to make me worried or cause me any trouble.” 

Clearly Ryoken had hit the nail on the head, as was evidenced by the way Yusaku paled visibly under his penetrating gaze.

“I had a feeling you weren’t feeling well this morning, but… you kept on acting normal, so I didn’t think you were pushing yourself this hard.”

Then again, knowing Yusaku, he was probably thinking of his important deal with the clients and didn’t want to get in the way of that. Letting Ryoken hear him complain or make a fuss about his fever was the last thing he’d intended to do, which he made clear as he spoke up.

“I knew how much this day meant to you. I’d rather put up with the fever than stop you from closing the deal.” Yusaku’s honest, heartfelt admission wrapped a blanket around Ryoken’s heart, and he too had his own sentiments he needed to share with him.

Gently, ever so gently, Ryoken touched a hand to his swollen cheek. Yusaku went rigid, immovable and in that timeless moment, he stared at his hand, there resting on his skin. How soft it felt, how warm… But the mark of Hanoi branded on his hand once again reminded him of the reparations he did in the past. How much damage has this single hand done, and yet now it rested on this beautiful boy’s face? He let his mind drift back to the Tower of Hanoi, to his Duel with Destiny, to the memory that burned there of him.

He had always sensed great strength in Yusaku, could always sense it in those vibrant, luscious green eyes that seemed to bore into him and see into his true self. Much like himself, Yusaku hated showing weakness, hated people feeling sorry for him, no matter how much it pained him. However…

“You’ve told me before, didn’t you? That you can always tell me your true feelings. Even your pain and your weaknesses.”

Having his own words thrown back at him made Yusaku’s cheeks flush as he finally looked at Ryoken, his lips a tad parted in awe. Ryoken smiled at him wistfully, watching as his green eyes widened even still.

“I made the promise to do the same… And I swore that I’d take care of you, but…” Ryoken moved his hand away, missing the contact immediately. He wasn’t sure what he felt more about himself—anger or exasperation or both. “I should have trusted my instincts. Against my better judgment, I allowed you to attend school today and as a result, your fever got worse and you got hurt.”

Yusaku shook his head and looked at him. His eyes were luminous, filled with worry and regret, and there was sadness in his voice when he spoke. “No, I was the one being stubborn. And you’re right… I should have told you and I’m sorry.” He almost looked like he wanted to cry.

Ryoken’s throat grew thick. “You don’t have to apologize for being sick.” For God’s sake, Yusaku had gotten only a lot worse because he hadn’t watched him properly, but Yusaku was keen on blaming himself for something he had no control of. It pained him to see Yusaku like this, so he hoped his words could at least bring some comfort to his troubled heart. “We’re partners, you and I… You mean the world to me and I’d do anything to help you or protect you. If you need me, call me. I don’t care if I’m sleeping or doing business. I want to be there for you, no matter how big or small the problem is.”

A range of emotions ran across Yusaku’s face and he sighed, his mouth curving into a genuine smile which grew as if with dawning awareness. An unexpected glow lit his face. Everything softened like a filter over a camera. His cheeks filled up. He took Ryoken’s hand, clasping it warmly in both his own. “Thank you, Ryoken. I know I can always count on you to be there. You’ve always made me feel so happy and cared for. I hope you know you can count on me as well.”

Touched by the gesture, Ryoken felt himself soften around the heart. He moved closer to Yusaku, drawing him into an embrace. No matter how many times they’ve embraced, he could never imagine ever getting tired of it. Having Yusaku in his arms captivated him more than enough and it was a feeling he loved the most. Yusaku did nothing but sink deeper against him, relaxing in his warmth.

“Believe me, Yusaku, I know more than ever how much you care and worry about me,” Ryoken whispered, squeezing him just a little bit tighter. “However…” Pulling back slightly, he rested his hands on either side of his face. “If you just collapse like that again, you know I won’t be able to just wave it off. Even I have limits. You almost gave me a damn heart attack when I saw your swollen cheek. I thought someone punched you.” And he’d been ready to make the perpetrator pay if that were the case.

Yusaku offered him an awkward, apologetic smile. “Sorry—I mean about the mini heart attack. Should I make it up to you?”

In a mood to commit a bit of mischief, Ryoken grinned at him suggestively. “Don’t tempt me, Yusaku. I’ve been wanting to kiss you for quite a while now,” he said, making Yusaku blush an interesting shade of scarlet that had obviously had nothing to do with his fever.

Yusaku scrambled, trying to find the right words. “Oh, uh, I’m still sick and I don’t want you catching it, so you’ll just have to wait till I’m better.”

“Hoh?” Ryoken raised a brow. “And what if I want something more than a kiss?”

A pout appeared, which went well with the blush on Yusaku’s face. He shrugged. “You’re taking advantage of the situation while I’m sick? How bold of you, Revolver.”

“Oh, is that a challenge I hear, Playmaker…? I might as well succumb to my desires right now.”

“Don’t you dare.”

“I dare to.” 

All of a sudden, before Yusaku knew what was happening, Ryoken had clamped his mouth and kissed the back of his hand that was against his lips. Eyes grew wide at the realization of what was going on, and eventually he relaxed.

Releasing those lips, Ryoken felt his body drummed with desire and need, but knew better than to give into them. Instead, he simply cupped Yusaku’s chin and tilted his face up to his. Yusaku’s green eyes were soft, his lips were slightly parted as if begging to be eaten. “I would love to kiss you for real, but I don’t want you to worry about my health,” he said.

Unsurprisingly enough, a blush of embarrassment was all over Yusaku’s adorable face. He swayed a bit, suddenly looking dizzy, and quickly hid himself under the covers, mumbling something about Ryoken being unfair before— “Don’t blame me if you get sick.” It almost came out muffled.

Ryoken couldn’t help but chuckle in amusement. “It would be my own undoing, more or less.”

“If that happens, then I’ll just take care of you.”

Having Yusaku in his life was a blessing, and Ryoken felt truly lucky. “I know you will. Now get some rest.”

“Wait…” Yusaku hesitated, then meekly peeked from under the covers. Ryoken couldn’t see half of his face, but damn did Yusaku look cute. “You’re going?”

Ryoken snorted. “If you think for one moment I’m going to let you out of my sight, Fujiki Yusaku, you are very much mistaken.”

“You need rest too, Ryoken.”

“I’m not leaving you. I’ll doze off in the armchair.”

“If I wasn’t sick, you could—”

“Sleep with you?” Ryoken quirked his lips playfully. “Well, if that is what you desire, who am I to refuse?”

“N-No! No… Definitely not now.” Yusaku looked embarrassed when he said this and fidgeted ever so slightly with the sheet.

Ryoken felt inclined to tease him more, but he intentionally held back. “You’re going to be just fine, you just need to get some sleep now,” he said. “I’ll be here when you wake up. If your fever hasn’t gone down by tomorrow, I’ll call for Dr. Taki, all right?” 

Yusaku seemed like he wanted to protest for a moment, but only for a moment. “If it’s necessary, then you won’t see me complaining. I’m still sorry about the deal, though…”

Ryoken sighed. “You’re still on about that?” He brushed some strands away from his eyes, grazing the back of his fingers against his skin. “What am I going to do with you? You don’t have to worry about it. Besides…” He let his own voice trail of mysteriously, prompting a curious look from Yusaku and then he smiled confidently. “I got the deal.”

Surprised crossed Yusaku’s face followed by something akin to relief. He was tired, yet he smiled as he closed his eyes and soon drifted off to sleep.


End file.
